How rude is this?

davlandrum

New member
This weekend while elk hunting in Western Oregon, we parked our ATVs at the start of a logging road and walked in. The road was mostly blocked, but there is a track to drive an ATV in. The problem is, I know that road and you can't ride in there without screwing up any chance you might have on an elk.

So we walk down in, about a mile, almost get a shot on a bear, and then start the grinding hike back up to the bikes.

We get half-way out, and 3 ATVs come driving down the road. They went right past our bikes to get there.

If we had got on some elk, that would have blown it.

Anyone have any idea what people think about these days???
 
If the road is open for ATV usage, not much you can do--I'm not aware of any law against being inconsiderate.:(

I personally (just my opinion) am against hunting with ATVs----for this reason and others---UNLESS you are on private land and not going to screw up the hunt of some one hunting on public property I don't think they should be permitted.

I have had people ride within 50 yards of me on state game lands that are posted and where motor vehicles are not permitted.
Most hunters I know, don't like them either when they interfere with them on public land.
I have "heard" stories that when these ATVs are left unattended on public land that they usually suffer some kind of damage.

Dipper
 
Dipper - agree it was not illegal, just flat bad manners.

The old logging roads are the best way to get around. The ones that people hunt on are pretty much one-way, they don't go anywhere. We use our ATVs to get to the area we want to hunt, and park it so it is obvious people are down that road.

Back in the day, I used to just get dropped off where I was going to hunt, so there was no vehicle there to let people know someone was hunting there. I had lots of people come in on top of me. But if you can see someone is already there, find somewhere else.

ATVs used properly are great - saves me a ton on gas over the course of the year. But we stick to gravel roads (common use), or designated ATV trails and don't go around the humps or ditches that are used to block off roads.
 
You're right, it is just plain rude, and there is nothing you can do about it. A few years ago I was pheasant hunting with my dog in western WA in a brushy area of a public hunting site. Three guys walking abreast about 10 yds apart came over the hill and right through the area I was hunting and never said a word, they just walked right through the area I was working like they owned the place. Of course, they chased birds in front of them, the birds were running and flushing wild (and generally out of range) and they ruined the area for the day. I was so mad I could have spit nails. But what can you do? The rudeness and lack of consideration by other outdoorsmen is one reason why I hunt remote areas when I hunt public land.
 
My hunting rig allows me to get away from ATVs and such. There isn't a whole lot you can about them. You have bad behavier in all sports.

Pete.JPG
 
Man that sounds all too familiar. I park my truck to block off dead end logging roads, and get the same thing if not worse some times. Last year on opening day I parked my truck, and made a blind to put my wife on a deer. About an hour in, and thirty minutes from dusk, some jackass family starts honking their horns/ shooting their hand gun’s in the air. I fired a few .40 cals off and yelled for them to stop shooting. Lets just say this was an extremely white trash family that was really loud and rude. The first thing the mom said was “ yer lucky we didn’t shoot your tuck up”. Things got pretty heated from there, and I thought I was about to get in a gun fight. They actually tried to circle around behind me until I reminded them that my wife had the cross hairs of a 30-06 on them from the tree line. Long story short- I made them apologize and leave. That was one hell of an opening day.

That’s only one of the many stories I have about *******s in the woods. Have you ever noticed how nobody waves when driving/ hunting in oregon ?. I’ve never hunted in another state where the hunters are so antisocial. Just be carful, and carry a high capacity sidearm !.
 
Double - I wonder if having so many logging roads might just make it worse, becuase it is flat hard to get away from the roads in most of western Oregon. Where we elk hunt, I think the farthest I could get from a road is maybe 1 mile as the crow flies.

Of course, there is that little elevation change of 1,000 feet in that mile...
 
Rude or Ignorant?

I've only hunted the west, Wyoming, once so maybe I am missing something. How do you know that the trail that you walked and they rode on was known to them as a dead end? If the others did not have the same knowledge about the area as you do, it could be that they didn't know the hunting situation in that particular area. Here in Michigan in areas that ATV's are allowed and you see other ATV's or vehicles you just drive on by and put a little distance between you and the other vehicle. How much distance you give is dependent on how heavy the area is hunted. I have hunted many areas open to ATV's and consider people on the trail other than myself a way of life. I do know that due to the vast open spaces in the west crowding another hunter is different than in the midwest woods. I have bow hunted out of a stand so close to a sub division that there were children playing in their yard less than a hundred yards away. Man that makes it hard to hear a deer coming!:(
 
Others

I understand your point but you need to look at the other side also. It seems as if you were on public land. These guys interferred(or could have with your plans) but you must realize these people had plans also and they may have been using the same logging road in their plan. Sometimes one must share the same area and I agree,you were there first. I would not have proceeded to go down that trail after seeing your vehicles but many would. Many times I have gotton to A spot(on public land) early before daylight only to have someone ease by my position after daylight and later. Although this dosn't fit my plans they have A right to be there too. This is why I pay the big Bucks to lease my own little spot on private land.
 
Davlandrum,
That could be part of the problem. Although, there’s roads like that all over NC (were I was in the army for most of the time), and there’s more people hunting too. The people are all happy to be out hunting too. The only thing I don’t miss about the NC hunting is people running dogs to push dear onto the roads.

As far as blocking off dead end roads in oregon- I would never do it to a connecting road, and I think it almost a necessity to be able to clam your own little hunting spot for a few hours.
If people don’t know it’s a dead end road that only means they didn’t do their scouting. I guess I just got all my hunting edict from hunting in NC on Fort Bragg. There you weren’t aloud to scout during season because you would obviously be screwing up the day for other people by just trekking through the woods.

All I know is, I feel more on guard when I cross paths with people hunting in Oregon than I ever have in other states. Other states people are happy to see you in passing on the road so they can start up a conversation to take a small little brake from hunting. Here people I don’t see in the woods all summer act like they own the place (during season), and your trying to move in. I still hunt here because I love to hunt, but I don’t think I’ll ever look at it like I use to.
 
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if it's permitted then it's permitted

if you have a problem with that, then YOU need to find some private land to hunt on where it is not allowed.
They have every bit as much right to lawfully hunt or enjoy that land as much as you do, despite your preferences.

you are no more special than they are and you have no more right to that land then they do.
 
The way the responses started in this thread I thought I was going to be the only one that thought the poster was wrong. Glad I'm not the only one.

You are on public land. You park your ATV on a road and that automatically means everyone else has to stay the hell out. Now thats damn rude. And using your truck to intentionally block a road as one of the posters brought up. WOW!!

Maybe you should get off your rump and get farther away from the road? I hunt a section of public land that is next to I-35. Maybe I should cuss people for driving on it while I'm trying to hear my hounds. How rude of them.

LK
 
exactly

You cannot lay claim to a public road. Whatever message you are trying to convey by parking in the middle of a public road is meaningless.

If you are trying to hunt away from civilization then it is YOUR duty to avoid civilization, not civilizations duty to avoid you. Any ideas to the contrary are narcissistic, egotistical, and just plain wrong.


To top it off, the idea that your hobby of hunting is any more important than another persons hobby of ATV trail riding is asinine. The idea that your hunting was a "rude intrusion" into their peaceful day of trail riding is just as valid.

First thing you should do is grab a dictionary and look up the words "public" and "private".
After that, if you cannot bring yourself to deal with the possible nuisance of other people, then find yourself some private land or stop whining.
 
Anyone have any idea what people think about these days???

Yeah, they wonder if hunters could ruin their good ATV ride.

Why is it that your use of the land takes precedence over their use of the land? Moreover, why are you getting upset over something that didn't happen? Your elk were not spooked and you didn't miss a shot because of their riding. Yeah, sure, it could have happened just like the intersection I drove through today safely could have had a car in the middle of, impeding my progress, but it didn't, even though a car went through right after I finished.
 
I park my truck to block off dead end logging roads

By this logic, I'd be well within my rights to block off same road with my truck so I could putt around on my quad without the distraction of those pesky hunters hiding in a blind and firing rifles all day long?

Excellent! Aren't we sane, reasonable and tolerant!
 
I have private land in the family in the Texas hill country- hell I think it’s about 460 acres, but that’s besides the point. I see hunting maners like fishing maners. If there’s somebody there already move on to your next spot (if you did your scouting), and enjoy you day !. I have it happen to me all the time, and it doesn’t bother me at all. All I think is- “next time I’m going to get here an hour earlier. No big deal. People hear get to the point they want to sit in a blind next to you, and if you have a problem with it- tough shet !.

I’ve had people do this to me while bass fishing too. I’ll be makeing my way up an empty lake large mouth bass fishing with electric, and some guy’s will fly right by with their outboard full throttle(throwing huge wake) only to stop right in font of me (15 feet) to start fishing. I asked what there problem was, and they said “ we want to fish her”. I started my outboard flew by, and stopped fifteen feed in front of them. The looked at me, and I said “ I want to fish here !”. I’m sure as hell not going to fish somebody’s back water when I was already their.

As far as getting “of my rump” I do quite a bit, but just as Davlandrum pointed out in his first post. “The problem is, I know that road and you can't ride in there without screwing up any chance you might have on an elk.”
So that go’s back to scouting.

Grymster2007,
Man I’ve got a 2006 Yamaha YFZ450. I’ve never felt like I needed to ride with just my friends, so I better block off this road. Hunting is a lot different. Hell if I come up on someone hunting in bow season while I’m out on the quad, I feel like a dick head and slowly put away as to not bake anymore nose. My feelings are only out of curtasy for other hunter and my self in the field. Oregon is BIG, so people shouldn't go throwing around fireams threats over the fact that I got to “their” spot first.

I”m not blocking off a huge road, I’m only blocking off a small bit which is just enough to put a buffer between me and them.

People that don’t live in oregon don’t understand that there is an infinite amount of logging roads because that’s what WE here in oregon farm. More than enough room for everybody, but not enough room for the people that didn’t get rased right.

Bring that dictionary out to the lake/river and see if you don’t get chewed out or better yet knocked out for being so rude as to fish right on top of somebody else. Boat or shore..
 
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People that don’t live in oregon don’t understand that there is an infinite amount of logging roads because that’s what WE here in oregon farm. More than enough room for everybody, but not enough room for the people that didn’t get rased right.

i live in oregon, as a matter of fact i also live in lane county.

and i was definitely "rased right"

No individual has any right to block off or claim any public land, plain and simple. Your plans to hunt there that day are no more important than another persons plans to ride their atvs there that day.

I was raised to respect other peoples rights to public lands, even if it conflicts with my prerogative.

If dealing with the public is not in your plans, then stay off public land. If you want privacy, then go to private lands.
If you are unable to carry a dictionary for quick reference on the differences between "public" and "private" then i'd suggest memorization.

And if everyone was as emotionally fragile as you, there would be shootouts at every fishing tourney i've ever been too. Instead they usually go the boring route with everyone having fun and acting like a mature adult despite minor annoyances.
 
Mr Nice Guy,
"No individual has any right to block off or claim any public land, plain and simple. Your plans to hunt there that day are no more important than another persons plans to ride their atvs there that day".

Man I hope you’re not one of those antisocial hunters I was talking about that doesn’t wave back but just glares.

Are you arguing for arguments sake, or do you really like crowding people while their trying to enjoy the outdoors ?. I’m not talking about the “right” to block of a road, I’m talking about respecting the fact that somebodies already there.

I never needed a dictionary- you were the one that brought it up. Keep it- you might need it again !.

By the way, I left out a lot of the my story (as stated). I was the one being threatened with firearms by a bunch of drunk ass, white trash, and I know I handled the situation perfectly. “Emotionally fragile”- far from it buddy. I just don’t like being threatened with firearms. Hell, I bet you would have ****** your pant’s. why are you getting all but hurt anyway ?. Did I just insults your family or something ???. Remind them to watch their mouth while in the woods- it’s supposed to be friendly !!.
 
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